Gore Vidal Speaks Seriously Ill of the Dead

Gore Vidal / Truthdig Mar 21, 2008 The iconic author objects to Newsweek's obituary of his onetime rival, William F Buckley, a "knightly man" who stood up to "bullies" like Gore Vidal by verbally gay-bashing him on national television. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Pelosi: Dream Ticket Is ‘Impossible’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 12, 2008 As the chair of the Democratic convention, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she intends to remain neutral throughout the primary process, but toward the end of this clip she seems to rebuke Hillary Clinton. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Unconventional Wisdom

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Feb 20, 2008 Since Super Tuesday produced not one but a duo of Democratic front-runners, pundits from across the political spectrum have made ominous noises about the potential dangers of a prolonged contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Here, Truthdig's seasoned political correspondent, Bill Boyarsky, begs to differ. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Pelosi Warns Superdelegates

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2008 Nancy Pelosi, who is not only one of the highest-ranking members of the Democratic Party but the chair of its approaching national convention, has weighed in on two of the most controversial issues looming over the presidential nomination. Superdelegates, Pelosi said, should not overrule the will of the voters, and the disputed delegations from Michigan and Florida "can't make the difference because then we would have no rules." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘My Brother the Superdelegate’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2008 Hollywood bigwig Ari Emanuel knows a thing or two about superdelegates. His brother, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, is one. But, as Ari writes on the Huffington Post, "as much as I love and respect him, I don't trust him and his fellow superdelegates to decide for me and the American people who should be the Democratic nominee -- and, therefore, most likely the next president of the United States." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Choosing for Us

Staff / Truthdig Feb 8, 2008 There's an ugly possibility out there: The Democratic race could be so close it would be decided by the 796 super delegates (governors, members of Congress and the like) and not the people who voted and caucused. Party Chairman Howard Dean says he will do everything possible to avoid such a turn of events and Democratic strategists mostly agree that it would be a disaster for the party, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the super delegate notion to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Red Cross Condemns Torture Bill

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2006 The International Committee of the Red Cross will contact the White House to address concerns over U.S. torture policy's compliance with the Geneva Conventions. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Army Finally Bans Torture

Staff / Truthdig Sep 6, 2006 Yielding to pressure from humanitarian groups, Congress and the Supreme Court, the U.S. Army will release a new field manual that affords all detainees protection from torture under the Geneva Convention. The new document will ban several ?interrogation? methods that have drawn criticism, including simulated drowning and the use of dogs to terrorize detainees. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Breaks Bread With NAACP

Staff / Truthdig Jul 21, 2006 Bush spoke to the NAACP?s annual convention for the first time during his presidency. His speech drew both applause and silence as he addressed the group he has avoided for five years. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Will Give All U.S. Detainees Geneva Rights

Staff / Truthdig Jul 11, 2006 The White House said this morning that every prisoner in Gitmo and in US military custody everywhere is entitled to Geneva Convention protections Bush spokesman Tony Snow claimed that this apparent about-face is "not really a reversal of policy," while admitting that it stems directly from the Supreme Court's striking down of Bush's military tribunals Reminder: This is far from total victory Constitutional expert Glenn Greenwald reminds us that the Hamdan ruling also removed any conceivable argument to support Bush's illegal wiretapping programs, and we haven't heard about any policy shift on that front . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Court Ruling May Cancel Bush’s ‘Blank Check’ for Terror War

Staff / Truthdig Jun 29, 2006 Specifically, today's Supreme Court ruling held that the president overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. But more important, Think Progress interprets the ruling to mean that "the Authorization for the Use of Military Force -- issued by Congress in the days after 9/11 -- is not a blank check for the administration." Also, SCOTUSblog says the ruling means that the Geneva Convention does apply to the conflict with Al Qaeda, and consequently "this almost certainly means that the CIA's interrogation tactics of waterboarding and hypothermia (and others) violate the War Crimes Act." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )